Archives for August 2011

No charges have been filed yet, but 19 members of the Truman State University baseball team were implicated in an alleged hazing.

Kirksville Police got the report on Monday from Truman State’s athletic director. Police reports indicate that it happened at a house on North Elson Street. Truman’s AD Jerry Wollmering called police. Police have not given any details of the incident, and say that the Missouri Attorney General’s office will handle any charges that are filed. Truman’s athletic department issued this yesterday: “Due to the ongoing investigation, the University has no comment at this time concerning the alleged hazing incident involving members of the baseball team. The University is cooperating fully with the Kirksville Police Department’s investigation and is conducting its own investigation involving possible student conduct code violations. Truman takes these charges very seriously and will take action at the appropriate time.”

It was flooded out, but come Friday, Big Oak Tree State Park and the Towosahgy Historic Site will be back on line.

Just in time for the three day, Labor Day weekend. State Parks Director Bill Bryan says, “These are your parks and we’ve done everything we can to make them enjoyable for you this fall, so get out and play at Big Oak Tree State Park and the Towosahgy Historic Site”

Bryan says while you can enjoy your holiday weekend at both places, the visitors center at Big Oak Tree State Park will not be open, and in fact, will have to be replaced. So Bryan says parts of the park will be open, but Towosaghy will be completely reopened. It’s an ancient Indian mound site. Bryan says tribal representatives have checked the site and say it’s fine.

State Treasurer Clint Zweifel said on Monday that he has returned unclaimed property in several Missouri counties.

The total hat Zweifel has returned nearly 400 thousand dollars to hundreds of accounts, including insurance policies, securities and uncashed checks. Zweifel said since the beginning of 2011, he’s returned nearly three million dollars in unclaimed property to Missourian and others who may have accounts in Missouri, That also includes helping people find unclaimed accounts during the Missouri State Fair.

A man wanted on a Stoddard County warrant was busted in Columbia on Monday.

Police said they took thousands of dollars worth of synthetic drugs off the street when they busted Kevin Earl Bay. He was also wanted for distribution of analogue drugs as well. He faces eight counts of distribution, and is in jail on half a million dollars bond. When Bay was arrested Boone County sheriff’s deputies, at the request of the DEA, seized loads of synthetic drugs, guns and precious metals, along with 630 thousand dollars in cash.

Adair County authorities say the girl reported missing out of Schuyler County a little over a week ago is still missing, and her step-father now faces Adair County warrants. They’re asking for public help in locating 38-year old Kenneth E. Kramer, who is wanted on both felony and misdemeanor warrants out of Adair County. Yesterday, warrants were issued for Kramer on 3 counts of Forgery. Those follow a misdemeanor warrant issued last week for domestic violence. The sheriff’s office said yesterday they do not know where Kramer is, but he is still believed to be in the company of his step-daughter, Cheryl Lynn Mourton, who is 15.

First, a man dropped his son at the emergency room to be treated after he got into a fight.

Then the man ended up in the emergency room, having allegedly been beat up by about five people himself on Sunday. Kirksville Police said the 37 year old man reported that two cars blocked him in as he drove on Main Street and several people got out of one of the cars, and started beating him up. Police said they’re not sure if the man knew the people who beat him up, or why he was assaulted.

FEMA is withholding some Joplin money to help the east coast recover from Irene.

FEMA Director Craig Fugate says Joplin tornado victims will not have their promised funds taken away, and that short term funding, like for immediate housing, will also be there. Fugate says its the long term funding that FEMA is taking away from Joplin to give to Hurricane Irene victims. Fugate said Irene is the tenth billion dollar disaster in the US this year, and that FEMA cannot afford much more.

The Convoy of Hope has members in Joplin, Haiti and now on the East Coast, helping out those returning home after Hurricane Irene hit. Spokesman Jeff Nene says the convoy didn’t all head out together at once, they started last Friday getting ready.

He says the convoy doesn’t have a lot of members, so they find it most helpful to work with those who are already there.

Nene says the convoy is acting as a first responder for when people get back to their homes, providing food, clean water and blankets. He says the advance notice of a hurricane helps aid crews get there in time, but also helps minimize the damage.

When Missouri teachers come to school today, they can still use Facebook to communicate with their students — for now.

That’s because last Friday, a judge blocked the law, that would have taken effect yesterday, and because Governor Jay Nixon called for it to be repealed during next month’s special session. Teachers have, from the start, contended that the law steps on their first amendment rights. Opponents say it protects students from inappropriate contact with teachers, making teachers have to contact students out in the open. A Cole County judge agreed with teachers on Friday, saying the law would have a quote — “would have a chilling effect” on free speech.

For kids in Missouri, that number is four in ten. Scott Baker with the Missouri Food Bank Association says in rural parts of Missouri, food banks can’t get in to help the hungry.

He says, “Community leaders there way ‘we don’t have a problem.’ So they’re either in denial or they’re just not really aware of what’s going on. So its not a surprise to see that some of the highest counties with childhood food insecurity are in rural Missouri.”

Baker says the problem is that families who work, make too much money to get help with groceries, like food stamps and other government programs, and that amounts to 36 percent of children in the state.